Around 9:15 p.m., a Stealth security operator was monitoring a construction site when two individuals jumped the fence and entered the property. The operator activated the on-site speaker warning, but the suspects did not respond. As a result, our monitoring operator called police and provided them with a description of the trespassers.
Officers arrived within minutes to search the site. They entered the building and chased down one of the suspects who was seen running out. After searching the area, officers captured the other perpetrator. Both individuals were arrested.
How Can Trespassers Impact Your Project?
Just because a building is under construction does not give someone the right to walk through the property. It is trespassing and rightfully so. If that person gets injured while on the site, the owner of the property is legally responsible. In addition, trespassers can affect timelines and costs if the project must halt due to those injuries or from any damages the unwanted guests may have caused.
People enter idle construction sites for various reasons. Some are thrill seekers looking for an adrenaline rush. Some are simply looking for a place to seek shelter. Still others are looking to make a quick buck from stolen construction materials, tools and equipment. Experts estimate the cost of theft for the construction industry is around $5 billion a year.
How Can You Deter Construction Site Trespassers?
One of the most effective ways to help keep unwanted visitors off your site is remote video monitoring. Analytics-based surveillance cameras alert trained security operators of unusual activity, such as someone roaming around a construction site after hours. The operator can then evaluate the situation and act accordingly. This means activating an on-site speaker to warn the trespassers they are being watched and calling police.
When police receive a call from Stealth, they typically escalate the priority level since they know we are watching a crime in progress. This often results in officers arriving at the site while the suspects are still there, as you saw in the video.
Unauthorized access to your construction site can compromise your project and your bottom line. For more information about remote video monitoring, contact us.
